Pink or Orange ball is most likely options for night Tests

[Bapun]

Melbourne: It could be either a pink or an orange colour ball which will be used for the day-night Test matches, as the ICC is more or less happy with the experiments with the two colours.

Cricket Australia have concluded its experiments to find a suitable coloured ball for the day-night Tests and have now submitted its findings with the governing body for further research.

The ICC says pink and orange balls have emerged as the most likely options after testing in Australia, Pakistan and Abu Dhabi.

"The trials are aimed at determining the sighting qualities of the different coloured balls during day, twilight and night conditions as well as their colour retention ability," an ICC spokesman said.

"The tests are mostly positive with some reservations around batting in the twilight period. On the face of it, it appears to make little difference as to whether the ball is pink or orange," the official said.

CA public affairs manager Peter Young said Network Nine had used mock telecasts to trial various colours.

"The viewers got the best deal with the orange ball. That was the one that had the greatest clarity in the living rooms," Young was quoted as saying by a newspaper.



Young said they did all, what they could, to end the search for a suitable ball for day-night Tests and it was for ICC to continue the research work.

"We`ve bundled up all the work we have done and given it to the ICC. We gave them a bag of balls which they`ve taken away. It`s not just an Australian issue. It`s a global issue. Globally, most premium sport is played at night.”

"Test cricket`s our premium format but we play at least 60 per cent of it when people are at work or at school. We`re playing our premium format at a time when people can`t watch it. So the big challenge so far has been to develop a cricket ball suitable for day and night.”

"You have to make sure one side doesn`t get some sort of advantage over the other," he said.

The ICC Cricket Committee, chaired by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, will be handed the latest test results in London next month.

PTI